Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article of manufacture with nanoporous particles entrapped within a hollow latex particle matrix, a process for manufacturing such an article and a method for using such an article.
Description of Related Art
Energy efficient building structures are of ever increasing importance and are even becoming a subject of government requirements. Therefore, the building industry is in ever increasing need to identify thermally insulating materials that offer improved thermal insulating properties and that are suitable for use in a building construction environment and use.
Lightweight nanoporous materials are highly thermally insulating. For example, aerogel materials demonstrate thermal insulating properties superior to most building and construction insulation materials. However, nanoporous materials including aerogel materials are currently not practical for use in building and construction applications for a variety of reasons. For example, it is difficult to prepare nanoporous materials in a structure of sufficient size to use in insulating structural buildings. It is also difficult to prepare nanoporous insulation having sufficient mechanical integrity to hold up to a rugged construction environment. Various research efforts attempt to incorporate the benefits of nanoporous materials into a thermally insulating article that is suitable for use in building construction applications.
United States published patent application 2008/0287561, U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,927 and PCT publication WO2007/146945 disclose polymeric foam containing aerogel materials.
United States published patent application 2010/0080949 discloses compositions comprising organic-inorganic hybrid aerogel particles with a polymeric or oligomeric binder that covalently binds to the aerogel particles.
PCT publication WO 03/064025 discloses an aerogel composite comprising a base layer of hydrophobic aerogel particles in an aqueous binder.
United States published patent application 2004/0077738 discloses articles comprising at least three components: hydrophobic aerogel particles, non-porous hollow particles, and an aqueous binder system. The non-porous hollow particles have a typically diameter of one micrometer or greater and one millimeter or less.
United States published patent application 2003/0003284 discloses an article comprising a layer containing aerogel material a binder matrix and a layer containing polyethylene terephthalate fibers in a binder matrix.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,195 discloses moldings that contain silica aerogel particles bonded to one another by means of at least one organic or inorganic binder that further contains sheet silicates and/or clay minerals.
It is desirable to continue to advance the art of thermal insulating articles that contain nanoporous materials to further develop an article offering optimal versatility and performance. For example, it is desirable to provide a thermally insulating article that comprises nanoporous particles within a matrix that itself is nanoporous so as to further increase the thermal insulating properties of the article. Even more desirable is such an article that can assume a variety of shapes and a process for making such articles in any of a variety of shapes without a need for milling or cutting the article. Yet more desirable is such an article that does not require foaming, which can be challenging to control when forming nano-sized cells.